Creak.
The wooden floorboards made a teeth-setting sound as Neji Hyuga pushed himself up with both hands and sat straight.
The alarm clock at the head of the bed read 2:00, and the light in the room was still dim and chaotic.
He instinctively turned his head to look out the window for the time, only to see a figure standing quietly by the window, exuding a sense of desolation all over.
Neji Hyuga, whose emotions were still fluctuating at the moment, was startled at first, but quickly recognized that face full of melancholy under the moonlight.
“Father?”
Neji’s confused voice reached his ears, and Hizashi Hyuga, who had been staring blankly at the night sky outside the window, snapped back to reality and withdrew his gaze to look at his son.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Hizashi Hyuga’s eyes were somewhat complex, but he still revealed a gentle smile and raised his hand to stroke Neji’s hair.
“I suppose, it wasn’t exactly a nightmare.”
Neji Hyuga’s small face couldn’t help but wrinkle slightly as he raised a hand to press his throbbing temples.
He tried to recall the details of the dream, but felt everything in it melting away like snow under the morning sun.
His memory was like grasping fine sand, uncontrollably slipping through his fingers and vanishing with the wind.
Unwillingly opening his palm, he found only a few grains of sand left.
For instance, the eerie nursery rhyme at the dilapidated shrine, the fear and unwillingness of becoming a “scapegoat,” that pair of incredibly magnificent blue eyes, and finally, the golden light that slashed open the night sky.
“Father.”
Neji Hyuga tightly gripped those few ‘grains of sand,’ looked up at Hizashi Hyuga, and subconsciously asked: “Is it possible for the Hyuga clan to have eyes other than the Byakugan?”
Hearing this, Hizashi Hyuga was taken aback and gave him a puzzled look, but still explained: “If the bloodline isn’t pure enough, they might never awaken the Byakugan in their lifetime, having eyes just like ordinary people.”
Speaking up to this point, he paused, seemingly remembering something, and added: “Speaking of which, our Hyuga clan actually has a branch lineage with the surname ‘Kohyuga’.
Their bloodline has thinned to the point where no clan member has awakened the Byakugan.”
Of course, if a member of the Kohyuga clan really did awaken the Byakugan, they would be brought back to the Hyuga clan immediately, branded with the Caged Bird curse mark, and join the Hyuga branch family.
“So.” Neji Hyuga pursed his somewhat dry lips and murmured, “Was it just a dream?”
Everything was reminding him that he had just had a dream, but that figure walking out of the fire carrying a head, and those magnificent eyes seemed carved into his mind.
He could even recall the halo-like light in those eyes, and the horror of that golden light slicing down after breaking through the clouds at the end.
“What happened before that?”
Neji Hyuga frowned, trying to remember, but simply couldn’t recall.
He only vaguely felt that it was very important.
This dream was simply too realistic, so real that it didn’t feel like a dream at all, so real that it made his heart palpitate.
If I could also possess that kind of terrifying power, could I also…
Neji Hyuga said nothing more, and Hizashi Hyuga didn’t press further, plunging them into a brief dead silence.
Clearly, both of them currently had their own complex thoughts.
The former birthed a trace of resolve and extravagant hope that even he himself hadn’t noticed, while the latter continuously recalled and coveted that brief moment of freedom.
What they shared was a rising desire for that figure in their hearts.
Yet they didn’t know that the state of mind of both father and son was actually planted by the exact same person.
[Ding!
Your lie has been judged as [Bluffing] [Demagoguery] [Inviting the Target into the Trap], Hizashi Hyuga experienced strong emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Obedient to Every Word], gaining 600 realization points]
[Ding!
Your lie [Death of the Hyuga] has been judged as [Falsification] [A Pipe Dream], Neji Hyuga experienced strong emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Delusions Arise in the Heart], gaining 1600 realization points]
[Remaining realization points: 11193]
“Do two achievements yield a thousand more points than three achievements?”
In the room, the clone exploded into smoke with a “poof,” and the black robe flowed like liquid into the shadow under another figure’s feet, gradually revealing Yun Chuan Hyuga’s thoughtful face.
“Sure enough, only truly bizarre lies can earn more points.”
After materializing the “Shadow Robe,” Yun Chuan Hyuga originally had 10293 points left.
Lifting Hizashi Hyuga’s Caged Bird curse mark for ten seconds only cost 300 points, but plunging Neji Hyuga into a dream he personally fabricated cost 1000 points.
However, this time, Yun Chuan Hyuga didn’t complain about the system being greedy.
After all, only by truly materializing a fraction of the Tenseigan’s power could that scene be firmly branded into Neji Hyuga’s heart, which would facilitate his design of even bigger lies later on.
“I made my money back anyway, no loss, it’s a huge profit.”
Yun Chuan Hyuga changed his clothes and sat at his desk, taking out his “diary” from the drawer.
While writing completely irrelevant “diary” entries, he pondered if there were any flaws in his actions and what these points should be used for next.
His current strength was still not high enough.
Despite Hizashi Hyuga acting submissive in front of Hiashi Hyuga, his strength was actually among the best in the clan, and his practical combat experience far exceeded that of Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the main branch.
Probably only a madman like him would dare to appear openly in front of Hizashi Hyuga, not only pressuring him to the point of almost erupting, but even daring to threaten and fool him.
If he hadn’t deliberately chosen Hizashi Hyuga’s courtyard as the location, if he hadn’t deliberately put on a calm and powerful aura.
If he hadn’t deliberately created an extremely oppressive atmosphere, if he hadn’t deliberately chosen to appear on a desolate night.
If he hadn’t taken advantage of Hizashi’s misgivings about Neji, if he hadn’t known Hizashi too well…
Various designs, all indispensable.
It seemed effortless throughout, but in reality, if a single mistake was made, it would be discovered by Hizashi Hyuga, and by then he wouldn’t be able to escape even if he wanted to.
Even Yun Chuan Hyuga couldn’t help but sigh at his own audacity when reviewing it now, but at the same time, he felt genuine joy from the bottom of his heart for this thrilling sensation.
“I still need to be careful in the future, raise my strength first, I can’t do this next time.”
Yun Chuan Hyuga nodded, secretly making up his mind.
Yes, definitely next time.
[Ding!
Your lie has been judged as [Self-Deception], Yun Chuan Hyuga experienced slight emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Saying One Thing but Meaning Another], gaining 1 realization point]
“…Can’t be bothered with a brainless thing like you.”
Hearing the system notification in his mind, several black lines appeared on Yun Chuan Hyuga’s forehead, and he silently recited: “Materialize Ninjutsu – Lightning Style Armor.”
[Cost 1000 realization points, do you want to materialize?]
“So expensive?
Doesn’t that mean it’ll almost drop below 10000?” Yun Chuan Hyuga ground his teeth.
It wasn’t that he was a stingy miser, he just had a habit of hoarding things like a hamster.
Seeing the points about to drop below 10000 always made him feel a lack of security.
So he really didn’t want to spend these points, hesitating whether he should try to develop it himself.
But before he could respond in his heart, right at this moment, a faint cat meow reached his ears.
“Meow.”
This meow was merely mixed within the loud chirping of insects, and didn’t seem special during this animal mating season.
But Yun Chuan Hyuga’s gaze paused, and a faint smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Hah, “points” have delivered themselves to my door.